Immunity system complexity: baby immunity is strong (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, December 10, 2021, 20:23 (1078 days ago) @ David Turell

Stronger than adult immunity:

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-infants-affected-covid-adults.html

"In the new study, Farber and colleagues leveled the playing field and only tested the immune system's ability to respond to a new pathogen, essentially eliminating any contribution from immunological memories.

"For the head-to-head comparison, the researchers collected naïve T cells—immune cells that have never encountered a pathogen—from both infant and adult mice. The cells were placed into an adult mouse infected with a virus.

"In the competition to eradicate the virus, the infant T cells won handily: Naïve T cells from infant mice detect lower levels of the virus than adult cells and the infant cells proliferated faster and traveled in greater numbers to the site of infection, rapidly building a strong defense against the virus. A laboratory comparison found similar enhancements among human infant compared to adult T cells.

"'We were looking at naïve T cells that have never been activated, so it was a surprise that they behaved differently based on age," Farber says. "What this is saying is that the infant's immune system is robust, it's efficient, and it can get rid of pathogens in early life. In some ways, it may be even better than the adult immune system, since it's designed to respond to a multitude of new pathogens."

***

"The findings also help explain why vaccines are particularly effective in childhood, when T cells are very robust. "That is the time to get vaccines and you shouldn't worry about getting multiple vaccines in that window," Farber says. "Any child living in the world, particularly before we started wearing masks, is exposed to a huge number of new antigens every day. They're already handling multiple exposures.'"

Comment: newborns arrive unprotected but with a robust system that is designed to be fiercely protective immediately. Automaticity is required by design.